MINNEAPOLIS – Michael Johnson took a page out of Mike Pierce’s playbook and turned the pages on Danny Castillo.

Following Pierce’s come-from-behind knockout in the previous bout, Johnson got dropped in the first round and knocked out Castillo in the second, just as Pierce did.

The bout closed the preliminary card of UFC on FX 5, which took place at Target Center in Minneapolis. It aired on FUEL TV immediately before main-card fights on FX.

Immediately after the knockout, Johnson stated his case for a fight against a top-tier lightweight.

“With a win like this, it really boosts me up, and whoever wants it, come get it,” he said. “Joe (Silva), Dana (White), I’m ready for a top contender now. Let’s get it going.”

After some initial range-finding, Castillo attempted to throw off Johnson by changing levels and instead working short combinations. After a few misses, Castillo connected perfectly with a straight right that dropped Johnson. Seizing the day, he pounced and unloaded a series of hammerfists as Johnson attempted to escape. Castillo then took mount and worked for an arm-triangle choke. But after several adjustments, he couldn’t finish the choke, and Johnson recovered to half-guard. Castillo hoped to pin Johnson’s left arm and unload with punches, but Johnson’s defense was sound.

Johnson opened the second round far more aggressively while sticking combinations in Castillo’s face. A long, straight left connected on two occasions. But a short straight left caught Castillo directly on the chin and knocked him out. Follow-up punches were academic.

The stoppage officially came at the 1:06 mark of the second round.

“I was down a round,” Johnson said. “He caught me with a big shot. Hats off to him. I just had to stay composed and make it to the second. He wasted all his energy in that first round trying to finish me, and my hands got the best of him.”

Johnson (12-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) now boasts a three-fight win streak after a 1-2 run in his career following “The Ultimate Fighter 12.” The three-fight win streak of Castillo (12-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC), meanwhile, is snapped.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.